Dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system, we seek to unite the lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers of America, to function as an effective political and social force in the service of the people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests.

Tell Mayor Newsom and Juvenile Probation: Our Voices Matter!

San Francisco's Juvenile Probation Department is tearing innocent youth from their families and reporting them for deportation, without the basic right to a hearing on their charges. Last year, hundreds of community members raised our voices against this injustice. We met with our representatives, held rallies, and turned out at Board of Supes' meetings. And we made history. The Board passed a new policy to restore due process to all youth in SF, so that only youth found to have committed a felony would be reported to ICE. Innocent youth would stay with their families.

Mayor Newsom and Juvenile Probation Chief Sifferman are refusing to implement the new policy – ignoring the hard work of hundreds of community members, and causing the separation of more innocent immigrant children from their families and deportation.

Time to take action again! On Thursday, March 4, at 10:30am, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee will hold a hearing at city hall to discuss why City Attorney Herrera is not implementing the Board-enacted youth immigrant policy. The San Francisco Immigrant Rights Defense Committee, of which the NLGSF is a member, hopes to use the occasion to advocate for implementation. Come to the hearing and speak out!

The Board of Supervisors passed the new policy by a veto-proof majority in November 2009. The deadline for implementation was February 9 but Herrera has still not advised the Juvenile Probation Department to implement the new policy. Youth in San Francisco are still being reported to ICE simply upon arrest.

The first half hour of the hearing will be a closed session from 10 to 10:30am, then at 10:30am the meeting will open up to testimony from supporters of the immigrant youth policy.

The event will be televised, and there should be good press turnout generally. Spread the word to anyone one who might speak persuasively (for a max of 2-3 min).

Please come to this event and/or submit questions if you can. It would be great to get some testimony from Guild members.